Annex, oxford-oh

Renter Beware! When you move in, immediately request the move-in inspection form and fill it out in detail. After detailing every single thing that is wrong with your apartment, take photos and email a copy of the move-in inspection form along with the photos immediately to the Annex, and be sure to save records of all of this. When my son moved into the Annex he did not get a move-in inspection form (you get so busy moving in you tend to forget these details), but we quickly took a few photos of some of the things that looked damaged. Since he'd never had problems with false damage claims at other apartment complexes where he'd rented, we didn't prioritize detailed record keeping of all of the issues. Our son didn't complain about the unsavory condition because he was trying to be an easy tenant, not expecting a picture perfect apartment in a college town. Unfortunately he learned the hard way that he should have been more difficult, detailed and thorough. We were just charged hundreds of dollars for repairs-for carpet fraying and stains that were there before he ever moved in. While we totally understand and are happy to pay for honest cleaning fees or repairs, we are not ok with paying for damages that he did not cause and were there before he ever moved in. The Annex claims that since we did not submit a move-in inspection form, they now will not accept the photos we took on move-in day as proof (because they claim we could have changed the date the photos were taken). I see other reviewers say similar things so it seems this is a tactic they use to make extra money from each tenant. The apartment complex surely has photos from the previous tenant's move-out records that would show the true condition of the property before it was re-rented, but they choose to play the "you can't prove it so we can blame you and charge for whatever we want" tactic. It's so sad that companies choose to lie, defraud and steal as way to get ahead. We have owned several rental properties for over 20 years and have never used these kind of tactics to dishonestly charge a tenant - in fact we have never had a dispute from a tenant for any damage charges because we choose to do business with integrity and honesty. So, lesson learned for our son and hopefully this review can help others to avoid similar issues. Do yourself a favor and consider renting from a different complex or at the very least, keep proof of move-in condition forms showing condition of the property on move-in day with emails, and detailed record keeping with timestamps so that you are not charged for damages you didn't cause. Also, as a side note, the general look of this apartment complex is cute despite the rotting, moldy exterior, the amenities are nice, maintenance people are kind enough, but management is unapologetically dishonest. Bus service was down frequently, so just be aware that you cannot depend on the bus as a reliable way to get to and from the campus. Adding a few photos that we took on his move-in day to show the condition that you can expect on move-in day and the kind of things which we should have reported immediately instead of just going with the flow.

The rent price, maintenance staff, and shuttle drivers are the only three pros of this community. I have lived here for two years, and I cannot bear to take the third. Yes, those comments about the unstable shuttle schedule are real. And I really don’t understand why they always wait until the middle of every semester to deal with vehicle maintenance when clearly they have the entire summer to fix them. The door plates aging like a horror movie set is honestly the least of the problems. Starting this year, smoke smells have been occurring both occasionally and frequently throughout the property. According to the lease and relevant lawsuits, annex should keep the community smoke-free, and it is my legal right to live in a smoke-free environment. I wrote email to complaint but referred to my roommate, he received no related emails or notifications regarding the issue. It’s been weeks since I reported this, and the annex office has done absolutely nothing. This community is declining. It used to be a great choice for student housing in Oxford — not anymore. My friend who lived in a 1B1B unit had to smell weed smoke every single day because the AC system brought it in from outside. If you are concerned about your kids being exposed to smoke or drugs, please be aware that there is a cannabis dispensary located right by the gas station at the entrance, walking distance from this community.

Lived here for 2 years, they progressively added more and more bills as I’ve lived here and the amenities that are advertised are not always available. The computer lab’s hardware is too old to use Duo, the printer gives you 30 free prints a month that is never actually true, and the gym entrance door is blocked and has been for a year because they’re too lazy to fix it. The bus transportation is shaky at best with every other week only having one available bus to take us to classes and then giving us uber vouchers instead of being bothered to rent another bus until residents made their dissatisfaction with this evident. For a place like this they skimp out on repairs having a hot tub that has been out of commission since I’ve moved in to being too lazy to have any recycling bins this place progressively charges more for less.

While amenities and bus service was very nice, I was mostly disappointed with my experience here. When I moved in, the unit was filthy, and I had to deep clean the whole town house. There was food all over the kitchen and the fridge and freezer smelled strongly of garlic. Trash was also left in the boiler closet, and instead of cleaning, the team decided to lock the door so we could not open it. My shower was also leaking through the kitchen ceiling the night I moved in, and the maintenance operator preceded to tell me it was not an emergency; as water was leaking through a light over the bar. My move-out experience was anything but smooth. As the rainy season began, mushrooms started to grow in front of the back door, a sign the unit has not been properly maintained by annex. Thank goodness I left as this was starting to become an issue. I left the unit cleaner than I found it, was was charged half of 90$ for them to clean out the microwave. Beware they will nickel and dime you for everything at check out.

I lived in Annex for two years and it is a good place for reasonable rent and the bus drivers go above and beyond for the student experience. The maintenance team is also prompt to fixing issues. Something to consider is that the development is constantly burning through management which creates inconsistences and the office struggles on sending out communications during my time living there. There were amenities such as a hot tub that were advertised before we signed that never opened and is now filled in. Another consistent issue is that the busses are so inconsistent which would have been good to know before signing as they have trouble attracting drivers and the busses are constantly in and out of the shop. The late night shuttle ran one year but not the other. This is not the driver's fault and I know Annex is on a budget, but Scion (the parent company) does not take care of the students or have consideration for timely or reliable rides. Also, if choosing to live here PLEASE take pictures of the apartment before moving in. The condition of the unit when we moved in was rough and my roommates and I left it better than we found it but got charged hundreds of dollars in move-out fees. I could understand this if we moved into a spotless unit and if the office hadn't told us that there would be lenience. Residents I knew in prior years were not charged anything near that rate. Choosing Annex can be good if you can score reasonable rent and don't mind unreliable transportation, but I would highly recommend other properties to avoid deception and headaches. The property is quiet which is great and I really hope the best and for improvements in the future, but transparency is important for people considering student housing.